At the conclusion of last year’s season and subsequent summer, many fans had the Panthers a lock for the playoffs. I was also very pumped.
But a lock?
No way.
Despite the summer’s signings, the defense remained virtually the same and Bob (though exciting to get) was a big question mark with an even bigger contract attached. Despite my excitement with some of the signings, I still had real doubts.
Fast forward a few months and the Panthers have failed to live up to the hype and expectations. A promising start dissolved into more of the same: streaky, inconsistent and uninspired play.
What makes it all the more frustrating is that at 33-25-6, Florida is still in the playoff hunt, but could be in a much better position if they weren’t so weirdly mediocre.
As if it was almost scripted, the Panthers would faced a team in the Toronto Maple Leafs that finds themselves in an eerily similar state as the Cats. It would be the biggest, and arguably, most important game of season.
The stats at the end of the game were relatively close for the two organizations, but the numbers on the scoreboard told a different story.
5-3 in favor of the Leafs.
There’s a lot you can breakdown from the loss, but what sticks out the most to me is simply this:
Florida’s “big guns” never showed up. Toronto’s did.
With the magnitude of Thursday night’s game, how is it that guys like Barkov, Huberdeau, Dadonov, Connolly, etc., just disappear? How does Pysyk, a defenseman-recently-turned-forward, not only outplay all those guy, but find the back of the net and the others can’t?
Your mind races to understand this team. It’s maddening. If you’re like me, you think things you wouldn’t normally say out of fear of heat you’d catch. But for the sake of conversation, let me share a few...
1. Barkov is a real talent. No doubt about it. But is he a leader? Specifically...is he the leader for this team? A nice, soft-spoken guy, Barky is a class act and there’s been plenty of quiet leaders like him throughout hockey’s history. While I have no clue what goes on in the locker room, I assume he’s well-respected by all those guys. I just sometimes wonder if this team would benefit from a more outspoken, no-BS kind of guy representing them and leading the charge.
2. Building off the above point, a shot in the arm of toughness could really do this team wonders, and I don’t just mean on the ice. When I listen to these guys talk after games, I see guys that are completely defeated. I mean there’s no energy. No sense of wanting to get back out there and win. I’m tired of the, “We just came up short and know we have to be better next time,” malarkey. Where’s the fire? Where’s the anger? I remember an interview from a few years back after a Bears loss. One of the players (whose name escapes me) said he was sick and tired of losing and equated it to your response after getting punched in the mouth. Do you cower, or do you taste the blood and get pissed? I think this Panthers team is the former.
3. Could it be that this team suffers from a touch of SCS (spoiled child syndrome). They were the talk of the league all offseason - pegged by everyone to be the next big thing. Just like a lot of fans who bought into the hype, I think the players did, too. And there’s nothing wrong with that. You need that swagger, but...you need to earn it through hard work. You don’t become a great team because people say you will be and you simply believe it. You need to execute every night. Look at Boston.
4. It pains me to write this because I’m a big Q guy, but this team does not seem that vastly different then Bouhgner’s last year. Yes, they have a better record right now (I think they were at 28-25-10 this time of year under BB), but the glaring issues are still very much visible.
5. When is it time to move on? They’ve obviously chosen to try and build around a core that realistically might not be “the guys.” At what point do you make the tough decision to break up the core by moving one, or some, of them? There’s a couple that could fetch a good haul. Is this summer the time to do a true shakeup? I don’t think this is the team to get the job done. Do you?
6. Bob and his contract...
*End of Rant (haha)*
With about 18 games left and chasing TOR by four points for the final guaranteed spot in the playoffs, the Cats have a big mountain to climb. They’ll have to go on a serious tear and they’ve struggled mightily to put it together since the ASG break.
They’ll try and kick things off against the Blackhawks who are 28-28-8 and last in the Central Division.
The Hawks have had a rough go at it the past few seasons, but are coming off a real nice win in Tampa.
Similar to Florida, Chicago suffers a lot from a sub-par defense. Not even the solid play of Crawford and Lehner (prior to his trade to Vegas) can help - as there’s only so much the goalies can do on a nightly basis.
Rookie forward Dominik Kubalik has been a serious bright spot in an otherwise dark season. In 62 games, he’s managed 43 points (29 G, 14 A) and is third in points for rookies, right behind Cale Makar (45) and Quinn Hughes (51). He’s been hot on the PP and is even coming off a hat-trick in Tampa. Be on the lookout for him!
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These are always some of my favorite games because it’s my two favorite teams facing off.
After their disappointing loss to the Leafs, it’ll be interesting to see how the Cats respond against a weaker Hawks team with momentum coming off a great win against the Lightning. I’m hoping they start Malcolm Subban tonight, as I’m eager to see what he’s got.
Always cool to see Q matched up against the boys, too...
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